Railway-coupling.



W. J. PRICE.

RAILWAY COUPLING.

APPLIOATION PI'LED AUG. 28, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses:

V W 1%???1? b 1 56 CO'LUMBIA PLANOGRAF'H 4:04. WASHINGTON, D. c.

Patented Nov.'?', 1911.

W. J. PRICE.

RAILWAY COUPLING. APPLIOATION FILED Atmjzs, 1909.

1,008,062, Patented Nov.'?, 1911.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Inventor: Wntnessesz COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co., WASHINGTON. D. c.

J. PRICE. RAILWAY COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1909.

1,008,062, V Patented N0v.7,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET3.

40 f7 .9. x 39 as 4/ 4/ il iinesses: Invenior:

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COLUMBIA PLANOGIIAPH cm. WASHINGTON. D. c.

W.-J. PRICE.

RAILWAY COUPLING.

12121101111011 FILED AUG. 28, 1909.

1,008,062, Patnted Nov. 7, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

II /g h Witnesses: Invent or:

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cc, WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER JOSEPH PRICE, OF NARRABRI, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNORTO THE PRICE AUTOMATIC RAILWAY COUPLERS LIMITED, OF NARRABRI, AUS-TRALIA.

RAILWAY-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1909.

siding at Narrabri, in the State of New South lVales and Commonwealth ofAustralla, engineer, have mvented new and use ful Improvements inRailway-Couplings,of

which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to railway couplings and particularly the draw-barcoupling hooks and links and it has been devised so that such couplingsmay be effected without the necessity of the operator entering betweenthe vehicles, and so that the vehicles may be coupled by either end.

According to this invention the draw-bar has a coupling hook and pivotedto this is the coupling link or shackle which is adapted to be raised toan upper or operative position, or position of readiness for coupling bymeans operatable at either side of the vehicle and to be held in suchraised position by a ratchet notch which receives the pawl or trip endof a counterbalanced or equivalent lever. This lever is operated torelease its pawl end from the notch by means automatically operatable bythe impact of two vehicles, such as a cross bar or other releasingmember depending from or actuated by the bufi'er heads so that when thebuffers meet the coupling link is released and falls over and into thecoupling hook of an adjacent vehicle. But in order that this inventionmay be clearly understood the same and its necessary appurtenances willnow be described in detail with the assistance of the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of this complete speciiication.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an im'- proved railway coupl ingconstructed according to this invention in the position of readiness toengage with the draw hook of a similar coupling and showing also indotted lines its non-operative position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view oftwo such couplings about to be engaged and Fig. 3 shows the couplings inoperative engagement. Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section, of thecoupling on one vehicle, showing the shackle held in upper position.Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the shackle in operative engagementwith the hook of the other vehicle. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing theshackle in the non-operative position. Fig.

7 is a sectional view of one of the buffers. Fig. 8 is a perspectiveview of my invent-ion combined with a central bufiier. Fig. 9 is asimilar view showing the couplings about to be engaged. Fig. 10 is asimilar view showing the coupling members in operative engagement.Fig.11 is a detail view, partly in section, of the coupling showing theshackle held in upper position. Fig. 12 is a similar View showing thecouplings in operative engagement. Fig. 13 is a similar view showing theshackle in the non-operative posit-ion.

The draw bar hook 24 carries the pivot of a cradle 25 which has an earpiece 29 with a recess or ratchet notch 30 in which takes the detent ortrip 31 from an arm 32 depending from the pivot pin 33 in the drawbar 24and having a counter weight 34. From the cradle 25 a projection 26 takesunderneath the shackle 27 pivoted to it. The detent 31 retains theshackle 27 in the position for coupling and is released from the notch30 by a U-shaped cross bar 35 secured to the inner ends of the bufferrods 36 of spring bufiers 37. The shackle 27 is elevated to couplingposition by movement of the cradle 25 operated by handle 41 on a crossspindle 39 which is pivoted in bearings 40 under the vehicie and whichhas midway, a bell crankilever having one arm 42 taking againsti thecradle 25 and the other arm 43 taking against the depending arm 32 tokeep the detent 31 clear of the ratchet when the cradle and shackle arenon-operatively positioned.

In operation the handle 41 on the cross bar 39 is moved so that the bellcrank lever arm 42 will raise the cradle 25 together with the shackle 27into the operatable position and the detent 31 falls into notch 30 andso retains the coupling in such position until buffers of theapproaching vehicles meet when the rods 36 operate the cross bar 35 andthereby cause the arm 32 to release said detent 31 from the notch 30. Onbeing thus released the shackle 27 falls upon and engages with the hook24 of the other coupling which has its shackle in nonoperatable positionwith the bell crank lever 43 holding the detent 31 clear of the notch30.

In the central combined buffer coupling shown in Figs. 8 to 13 thebuffer head is split and holds the coupling whose construction issimilar to that just before described but the U-shaped cross-bar isdispensed with and in its stead a depending radial arm 4:5 is iulcrumedon bracket 4-6 aiiixed to the body framing. This arm 45 has a hook endadapted to engage with the arm 32 when the pin or stud 47 on thedraw-bar 24 takes against said arm 45.

The operation of the central buffer coupling is similar to that beforedescribed but in this case when the buffer heads meet the stud e7engages with the depending arm 41:5 and the arm 32 releases the detent81 from the ratchet notch 30.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare thatwhat I claim is 1.. A railway coupling comprising a hook on one vehicleand a shackle on the other vehicle, means for elevating the shackle tothe operative position, a counterbalanced trip arm having a detentarranged to engage in a notch on the shackle to hold said shackle insaid operative position, and a releasing member automatically operatableby the impact of the two vehicles to move the said trip arm out ofengagement with the shackle to permit the shackle to drop intoengagement with the hook.

2. A railway coupling comprising, in combination with coupling membersadapted to cooperate with each other, a counterbalanced trip armengaging one of said coupling members to hold it up out of en gagementwith the other member, a bell crank lever one arm of which is adapted tomove the trip arm out of engagement with said coupling member to permitsaid engaged member to drop into engagement and into cooperation withthe other coupling member and the other arm of which is adapted to raisethe coupling member into the operative position and into engagement withthe trip arm.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

XVALTER JOSEPH PRICE. fi itnessesz PERCY NEWELL,

M. J. ,CANDRICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U.

